Communication device and communication method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12184452-B2
Application number	US-202217875688-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 28, 2022
Priority date	Jan 30, 2020
Publication date	Dec 31, 2024
Grant date	Dec 31, 2024

Abstract

According to one embodiment, a communication device includes: acquisition circuitry including a plurality of data acquirers configured to acquire data for transmission; processing circuitry configured to determine consecutive first sequence numbers for a plurality of pieces of the data acquired by the plurality of data acquirers, and to generate a plurality of packets that include the data acquired by the plurality of data acquirers and the first sequence numbers determined for the plurality of pieces of the data; and transmitting circuitry configured to transmit the plurality of packets wherein the packet includes an identifier that identifies the data acquirer having acquired the data in the packet or an identifier that identifies an application corresponding to the data in the packet.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A communication device comprising:
acquisition circuitry including a plurality of data acquirers configured to acquire data;
processing circuitry configured to:
independently determine, for a piece of the data acquired by each of the plurality of data acquirers, a second sequence number, and
generate a plurality of first packets, each of which including a first header, a second header and the piece of the data, the first header including one of first sequence numbers assigned to the plurality of first packets, the second header including the second sequence number assigned to the piece of the data and an identifier that identifies at least one of a data acquirer having acquired the piece of the data or an application corresponding to the piece of the data; and

communication circuitry configured to:
transmit the plurality of first packets, and
receive a retransmission request for the piece of the data to which the second sequence number is assigned, wherein

the processing circuitry is configured to generate, in response to the retransmission request, a second packet and a third packet,
the second packet including a first header, two second headers, a piece of retransmission requested data and a piece of first data different from the piece of retransmission requested data,
the first header in the second packet including a first sequence number different from the first sequence number included in a first packet including the piece of retransmission requested data,
one of the two second headers in the second packet including (i) a second sequence number which is the same as the second sequence number included in the first packet including the piece of retransmission requested data, and (ii) an identifier which is the same as the identifier included in the first packet including the piece of retransmission requested data,
the other of the two second headers in the second packet including (i) a second sequence number assigned to the piece of the first data which is different from the second sequence number included in the first packet including the piece of retransmission requested data and (ii) a first identifier different from the identifier included in the first packet including the piece of retransmission requested data, and
the third packet including a first header, two second headers, the piece of retransmission requested data and a piece of second data different from the piece of retransmission requested data,
the first header in the third packet including a first sequence number different from the first sequence number included in the first packet including the piece of retransmission requested data,
one of the two second headers in the third packet a including (i) a second sequence number which is the same as the second sequence number included in the first packet including the piece of retransmission requested data and (ii) an identifier which is the same as the identifier included in the first packet including the piece of retransmission requested data, and
the other of the two second headers in the third packet including (i) a second sequence number which is assigned to the piece of the second data and is different from the second sequence number included in the first packet including the piece of retransmission requested data (ii) a second identifier being an identifier which is different from the identifier included in the first packet including the piece of retransmission requested data and is different from the first identifier, and
the communication circuitry is configured to transmit the second packet and the third packet in parallel, thereby making transmission of the piece of retransmission requested data redundant.

2. The communication device according to claim 1 , wherein
the first header includes a first time stamp indicating a transmission time of a first packet including the first header.

3. The communication device according to claim 1 , comprising:
buffer circuitry including a plurality of transmission buffers configured to buffer the data acquired by the plurality of data acquirers, wherein
the processing circuitry is configured to:
read the piece of the data from each of the plurality of transmission buffers,
generate each of the plurality of first packets including the read piece of the data and the one of the first sequence numbers, and
control transmission of the data based on time constraints for the data buffered in the plurality of transmission buffers.

4. The communication device according to claim 3 , wherein
the communication circuitry is configured to receive information indicating a communication quality of a communication channel through which the plurality of first packets are transmitted, from another communication device that receives the plurality of first packets, and
the processing circuitry is configured to control the transmission of the data based on the information.

5. The communication device according to claim 4 , wherein
when the information indicates that the communication quality is low, the processing circuitry is configured to:
replicate the piece of the data read from one of the plurality of transmission buffers that buffer the piece of the data having a high priority for a transmission, and
generate a fourth packet including the replicated data, and
the communication circuitry is configured to transmit a fifth packet including the piece of the data having the high priority read from the one of the plurality of transmission buffers and the fourth packet including the replicated data.

6. The communication device according to claim 5 , wherein
the communication circuitry includes first transmitting circuitry and second transmitting circuitry,
one of the first transmitting circuitry or the second transmitting circuitry is configured to transmit the fifth packet including the piece of the data having the high priority, and
the other of the first transmitting circuitry or the second transmitting circuitry is configured to transmit the fourth packet including the replicated data.

7. The communication device according to claim 1 , wherein
a communication protocol for the first header and a communication protocol for the second header are protocols that are upper than an IP or an UDP.

8. The communication device according to claim 1 , wherein
the plurality of data acquirers are configured to acquire the data from a plurality of sensors.

9. The communication device according to claim 8 , wherein
the plurality of sensors are mounted on a vehicle.

10. The communication device according to claim 1 , further comprising at least one antenna.

11. A communication device comprising:
data processing circuitry including a plurality of data processors configured to process data;
communication circuitry configured to receive, from another communication device, a plurality of packets, each of which includes a first header, a second header and a piece of the data, the first header including a first sequence number, the second header including an identifier that is used to identify one of the plurality of data processors and a second sequence number that is assigned to the piece of the data, the second sequence number being assigned independently for each data processor to which the piece of the data is to be provided; and
processing circuitry configured to process packets received by the communication circuitry, the packets including a first packet, a second packet received after the first packet and a third packet received after the first packet,
the first sequence number in the second packet is higher than the first sequence number in the first packet,
the identifier included in t

Assignees

• Toyota Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Asai Hirochika
• Doi Yusuke
• Ishiyama Masahiro
• Onishi Ryokichi

Classifications

• H04L65/70

  Media network packetisation · CPC title

• H04L2012/5603

  Access techniques · CPC title

• H04L65/401

  wherein the services involve a main real-time session and one or more additional parallel real-time or time sensitive sessions, e.g. white board sharing or spawning of a subconference · CPC title

• H04L65/1069

  Session establishment or de-establishment · CPC title

• H04L65/80

  Responding to QoS · CPC title